Alabama Football: Takeaways, Complete Stats from Tide's 1st Spring Scrimmage

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Alabama football team’s first scrimmage of spring practice went off without a hitch until the very end, when former 5-star early-enrollee running back Bo Scarbrough, according to 247Sports, went down with a knee injury, Nick Saban said.

Scarbrough’s injury marred what was otherwise a normal Crimson Tide scrimmage, where the team shook off some live-game rust and got back on the field.

It was 80 degrees and sunny in Tuscaloosa for the work inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The scrimmage was closed to the public, but Saban addressed the media afterward, and UA released a few stats (though none from the quarterbacks). Marq Burnett of The Anniston Star tweeted a photo of the players prior to their scrimmage:

Here are some takeaways from Alabama’s first game-like work of the spring.

Another running back bites the dust

It hasn’t been the best offseason by any means for the Alabama running back corps.

Kenyan Drake was already recovering from a broken leg against Ole Miss. T.J. Yeldon left for the NFL. Altee Tenpenny transferred. And earlier this week, Tyren Jones was dismissed from the team after a marijuana arrest while he was already suspended.

Photo courtesy UA Athletics

And now, Scarbrough is looking at the possibility of missing some time with an injury.

A disclaimer: The extent of Scarbrough’s injury is still unknown. TideSports.com’s Aaron Suttles tweeted shortly before Saban’s announcement that Scarbrough had to be "carted off the field."

“If I knew what was wrong with the guy, I'd tell you,” Saban said when pushed about the severity of the injury. “When we find out I'll tell you. I think that's for the doctors to decide. They've got to take MRIs, and do all this things, so I don't speculate on these kind of injuries. We'll see, and let you know when we find out.”

Scarbrough’s mom, who was in attendance, Instagrammed a picture of him running the ball earlier in the day:

Saban admitted that Drake isn’t quite 100 percent yet and still wearing a non-contact jersey. So as it stands right now, Alabama’s healthy running backs on campus are Derrick Henry, early enrollee Desherrius Flowers and walk-on Buddy Pell.

Damien Harris, a 5-star recruit, per 247Sports, is set to enroll after the spring.

“We've had injuries, suspensions and lost some people at that position,” Saban said. “So what seemed like a pretty strong position for us, depth-wise, has gotten a little thin.” Harris tweeted get-well wishes for his "big bro Bo":

All quiet on the quarterback front

Saban wouldn’t dive into too much specifics about the quarterback play on Friday, and UA did not release any quarterback stats.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

They all got about equal reps, though, Saban said, around 30-40 each.

“I think the big thing when it comes to offense is everybody’s got to trust and believe in what we need to do, and everybody’s got to go do their job,” Saban said. “We’ve got to develop some trust and confidence in each other so that we execute a little bit better on a more consistent basis.”

Buried in his Monday press conference, which almost exclusively featured questions about dismissed defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor, was a praise of Jake Coker in particular from Saban, saying he was pleased with how he was coming along.

When asked to elaborate on Friday, Saban offered a little bit of insight into what he likes from Coker so far and what kinds of things he’s doing.

“I think the biggest thing is, he's more comfortable in the system,” Saban said. “He's playing with more confidence. I just think that, the system that we're playing now is better suited for him, in terms of what we're putting on him to do, actually playing him in the gun a little bit more, which is probably more suited for him.

“But you know, all these other quarterbacks did a pretty good job today. Cornwell did a pretty good job, Alex, Blake, all those guys did a pretty good job. There's a lot of competition at this position.

"Really pleased with the way Jake has sort of practiced, but we just got to keep getting him to where he feels comfortable and confident and gets in sync with the receivers so that we can execute a little bit better on a more consistent basis. And it's not all on him, it's on all of us to get that done.”

Complete stats

The following stats were provided by UA after the scrimmage. They include game-like simulations and situational work:

Rushing:

Derrick Henry: 11 carries, 112 yards, 1 touchdown

Bo Scarbrough: 16 carries, 36 yards, 2 touchdowns

Receiving:

Raheem Falkins: 5 catches, 88 yards

ArDarius Stewart: 3 catches, 65 yards, 1 touchdown

O.J. Howard: 2 catches, 58 yards, 1 touchdown

Robert Foster: 3 catches, 52 yards, 1 touchdown

Defense:

Reggie Ragland: 5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 3 pass break-ups, 1 fumble recovery

Dalvin Tomlinson: 4 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass break-up

A’Shawn Robinson: 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception returned for touchdown

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes and reporting were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Note: Players are referenced by fall 2015 eligibility.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.